FAN.AT MATCH OF THE ROUND

Labor victory in glorious Grossarltal derby

The home side celebrated the win of the year.

(Bild: USV Großarl)

One of the most important highlights of the Salzburg lower division took place in the 1st class south: In front of over 1000 fans and the hard rock band "Böhse Onkelz" as guests of honor, Grossarl secured its supremacy in Grossarltal with a 3:1 home win against Hüttschlag - including extra time in the party tent. 

The atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying even before kick-off. With around 1000 soccer fans, the stadium in Grossarl was filled to the last seat - a number of spectators that is unparalleled in Salzburg's lower division. "We had two big weddings in the village and yet so many people came - you won't find that anywhere else in the lower house," enthused Großarl's section manager Markus Schwab. But despite the support, you could feel the nervousness of the young home team. "You could tell, even our experienced goalkeeper was nervous," admitted Schwab. And indeed, Hüttschlag got off to the better start: After a strong performance in the first 30 minutes, the visitors took an early lead and almost increased it to 2:0 - only the aluminum prevented worse.

Double strike puts Grossarl on course
But then the tide turned: "We piled on the pressure with our young players. The speed and individual class of our team made the difference," continued Schwab. Two almost identical goals after high balls turned the tide - Grossarl turned the game around within a few minutes. Hüttschlag lost control during this phase. "After the first half hour, we fell into old patterns that we had actually stopped. We didn't defend high balls well, which is Großarl's strength," explained Hüttschlag co-trainer Thomas Kendlbacher disappointedly. Shortly before the break, the 3:1 was scored with a penalty, which according to Kendlbacher was a "co-production" between their own defense and a mistake by the goalkeeper: "The ball was already harmless, so the foul by our goalkeeper was completely unnecessary." That basically decided the game.

Calm second half
The second half was far less turbulent. Grossarl played down the lead calmly and calmly. "One more goal conceded might have added some excitement, but we did it confidently," said Schwab, praising his team. Hüttschlag had no more chances worth mentioning. An offside goal from Grossarl almost made it 4:1, but the referees blew the whistle - wrongly, as Schwab noted: "It wasn't offside." Kendlbacher sobered up his view of the visitors: "Nothing worked after the break. Grossarl let us run a lot with their style of play, we couldn't find a way."

We are very proud of this derby. This event is a great story for our valley!

Hüttschlag-Co-Trainer Thomas Kendlbacher

A derby with a celebrity factor
Another bizarre highlight of the evening: the members of the band Böhse Onkelz, who were playing a concert in Bischofshofen that evening, spent the night in Grossarl and even came to the game briefly. "The Onkelz slept in the Edelweiss, went to the game briefly and were then picked up with an escort," said Schwab with a smile.

Racism incident overshadows the derby evening
Despite the sporting rivalry, both sides praised the generally peaceful and exuberant atmosphere among the fans. However, an incident off the pitch clouded the otherwise positive picture. Costa Rican José Mario Grajal Sancho, who was substituted for Hüttschlag in the second half, had to defend himself against racist insults in the form of monkey noises from the Grossarl fan block. Kendlbacher was deeply affected: "That has absolutely no place at such a celebration of friendship. It really bothers me because it also damages our community." Section manager Schwab reacted quickly: "I stopped it immediately, went straight to the fans and made it clear that this was not acceptable. It was quiet after that," he said, describing the incident.

Derby celebration unites both teams
Despite the heated 90 minutes on the pitch, the bond between Grossarl and Hüttschlag remains strong. Both teams gathered in the party tent after the game, where the big derby celebration got underway. "We stick together in the valley, even if we are rivals on the pitch," emphasized Kendlbacher. Even the fans, who had previously provided some emotional moments, later found their way to the party together. Thomas Schaier

1st class south: Maishofen - Konkordiahütte-Tenneck 4:3 (1:3), Flachau - Annaberg-Lungötz 3:0 (1:0), Mariapfarr - Zell am See 6:4 (3:1), Hollersbach - Rauris 2:0 (1:0), Großarl - Hüttschlag 3:1 (3:1), Radstadt - Lenzing 2:1 (1:1), FC Pinzgau 1b - Mühlbach / Hkg. 3:6 (1:4).